Pursuing a Career at the Corner of Economics and Journalism

Heather Long is an editorial writer and columnist at The Washington Post. Her work often explores how economic trends affect the lives of everyday Americans.

How do degrees in economics and English fit together? For Washington Post editorial writer and columnist Heather Long, it’s when a career in economic journalism means working to bridge the gap between the data and people’s experiences.

There’s a need to understand economic principles, but there’s also a need to understand individuals’ view of the economy and how their personal stories can shape it, she said.

At The Washington Post, Long has played a large role in identifying and covering the “K-shaped” economic recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic and the “great reassessment” of work. Before joining The Washington Post, she was a senior economics reporter at CNN and deputy editorial page editor at The Patriot-News in Harrisburg, Penn., when the paper won a Pulitzer Prize.

“It’s a golden era for business and economics journalism,” with demand for journalists high from business-focused publications and startups as well as traditional outlets, Long said during a July 9 Women in Economics Podcast Series interview.

Long said she didn’t know that she wanted to be a journalist until a few years into her career, and she is an advocate for allowing for nonlinear career paths.

“My mantra is always there’s no wrong turns in your 20s, or almost no wrong turns. We can probably think of a few things that may be truly wrong. But I was definitely one of those people who was excited about a lot of things and not very focused,” said Long, noting that it took some time for her to find the right path, a process that can sometimes involve taking risks.

Long studied English and economics at women’s college Wellesley College and Oxford University, and she cites her Wellesley experience and the role of economics in it as an important step in her career.

Both her experience at Wellesley and what she’s observed during her career showed her that representation and how economics is taught are important for drawing people with diverse backgrounds to the economics field.

“When you have a lot of women faculty or when you have women who are on the federal FOMC board or who are presidents of the regional Fed, it does change the conversation. It does inspire more people to get involved in the field and to join that institution, to join that faculty,” she explained.

And starting with policy questions in the classroom, rather than with equations, can help humanize the field and draw a more diverse range of people to economics, she said.

There is still much work to be done, Long said, but she’s hopeful for the future of diversity in the field. “Change does take time. But it also takes continuing to mentor and continuing to show up,” she said.

For more on Long’s career journey, advice and thoughts on the field, listen to the full episode.

A transcript of the podcast episode is available at Women in Economics: Heather Long.